KARACHI: Meet Pakistani cricketers participating in the World Cup, take autographs and take pictures, pay $25 a person?
An invitation to an event to be held in the city of Dallas in the United States is circulating on social media and it has become a topic of discussion. Before the first match against America, the Pakistan Cricket Board and the cricket team are facing criticism.
In the name of Pakistan Cricket Team Meet and Greet, it is written on the invitation that if you want to participate in this event, you have to pay $25 a person. PCB has confirmed the event as a charity function but the invitation does not mention charity anywhere. Former captain Rashid Latif said that players are taking money to give autographs and take pictures, attending a private dinner just before the World Cup is disastrous.
If the ICC or PCB had organized it, it would have been a different matter. Rashid Latif claimed if someone in America invites the Pakistani players, he was asked how much he would pay. It happened in the past also that commercial matters got the headlines. He said there should be no fundraising and private dinners as cricket should be focused.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Pakistan Cricket Board claimed that the Pakistani cricket team participated in a charity event in Dallas. Proceeds from this function will go to charity. No Pakistani player was paid to participate. Similar functions were attended by Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. The proceeds from this function should go to a cause. The functions were arranged in Dallas and was allowed by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
